#more like god complex
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
Not finished if u steal il kms
If you see this man don't trust him no matter how hot his accent is he WILL harvest your organs for his own nefarious reasons (but he has the best of intentions, right? )
#fanart#homestuck#im cringe but im free#digital art#my art <3#im insane#hes insane#Some things about him#kept his moirails body in a glass case like snow white#genuinely believes all lowbloods problems will be solved if he finds the way to prolong theyer lives#hero complex#??? idk#more like god complex#heir of hope#or#page of hope#idk#either way he's delulu#hes moirails lowblooded thats why he cares ant#low blood rights#if the proportions are off keep that to yourself#pinky
1 note
·
View note
Text
Prepare for the unexpected. (DPxDC)
Everyone knew about the reign of Pariah Dark. Even those who did not dabble in those realms have heard the tale of the tyrant. A power-hungry man who ruled over the dead with an iron fist.
Following the rise of Pariah Dark, his realm had been effectively cut off from communication. Many mystics and magic users knew better than to open the door of nightmares that could arise if Pariah Dark's reach went further than his own realm.
Except, the universe had plans to bring the realm of the dead back into the cards.
A new opponent, one that had all of Earth's heroes scrambling for options. A being with powers of a god over weather, destruction was on the horizon. A world ending threat.
It's the only reason the Justice League was doing this. In a deep bunker, far from close civilization as a precaution, the heroes looked on with grim expressions.
The world was already being threatened. It would be destroyed regardless of what the league did. So it only made sense to make the last ditch effort. To summon someone strong enough to defeat the threat.
No one wanted to do it. No one wanted to be the one to pull the realm of the dead back to the living. The consequences were untold if this succeeded. If Pariah Dark was freed and defeated the threat, whose to say he won't want control?
That was a problem for later. For the aftermath. For now, the league could only watch on with bated breath as Constantine completely the summon ritual.
They watched on as the shadows in the room seemed to darken and grow. As the sigil sputtered to life with a glow that was growing increasingly brighter. A sudden gust of wind rushed through the room, the temperature began to drop with eaching ticking second.
And then it was all gone.
The room stood perfectly still. Just as it had been moments before. Nothing changed. No giant king standing before them, no sign that the ritual worked.
The room stood deadly still for another beat before the murmurs started. The team trying to make sense of the situation, figure out what went wrong.
Constantine swore up and down that this was the correct ritual, taking offense that they would even think the problem was on his end. It only made it better when it finally happened.
A loud sound ripped through the room, pulling everyone's attention back to the summoning circle. Just in time to see a tear appear in the space above the circle.
A thin tear that ran the length of eight feet. The fabric of the dimension seems to curl at the edges, pulling back to reveal a deep glowing swirl of greens. A dark gloved hand reached through, fingers curling around the edge of the tear, stretching it even further.
A portal. The ritual had worked, but there had been a delay. A delay that had every hero nerves on edge. Each team member tensed, weapons at the ready as they watched the being stretch the portal to the right size.
Then, a foot stepped out with a heavy thud. A dark boot that looked otherworldly despite its similarity to mortal clothing. A deep black that seemed never-ending. A second foot quickly followed before a full body emerged from the portal.
Not many people in the room have ever seen Pariah Dark, let alone know what to expect. Based on what Constantine and Zatara had said, this wasn't Pariah Dark.
A man had stepped out of the portal, standing at almost seven feet tall, and built like a brick house. One glance at the glowing white hair, deadly red eyes, and shard teeth was enough to know this being was not to be messed with.
But there was no giant show of armor or royal garbs. There is no large crown at the top of his head or jewelry from the infinite realms laced around his neck.
Instead, the man stood before them in combat boots, worn-in ripped jeans, a graphic t-shirt, and a spiked leather jacket. Despite his almost normal clothing choice, the man's jacket seemed to be a never-ending depth of the dark night sky. If one was to look closely enough, the cosmos could almost be made out in the sea of darkness.
None of that would have prepared them for when the man spoke. His tone sounded more bored than anything as he took a step forward.
"Oh, so now you need the help of the dead." The man had spoken, running a hand through his hair. When Batman took a step forward to speak, the man raised a hand. Immediately commanding silence in the single gesture. "I'm on babysitting duty and have yet to have a cup of coffee. I'll be right back."
Just like that, both the man and portal vanished into thin air. Leaving behind a group of stunned heroes. Not only was the man not Pariah Dark, but he was also supposedly babysitting.
"Did that just-"
The Flash had been the first voice to speak up, his eyes trained on where the man had once stood. Except he had barely made it through the first few words before the man was suddenly back.
The man that now had a child hanging off his shoulders and another teen being held up by his scruff. Unlike the man, these kids looked human.
Too human for Bruce's liking. The dark black hair and bright blue eyes had every heroes eyes flickering to Batman for just the briefest moment.
"This isn't fair! I'm not even the king. Why do I have to be here!" The teenager had been complaining the moment the man had reappeared. Arms crossed tight over his chest and seemingly used to being held dangling. "Besides, who brings kids to a show down! Wait til I tell mom about this."
"Aw, come on, Danny. This is gonna be fun!!" The younger girl seemed in much better spirits than the teen, Danny. She had climbed up the large man, sitting on his shoulders and resting her arms on the mess of glowing hair. "It's like take your kids to work day! Ooo, Dan! Can we fight too!?"
Unlike the two kids, the man looked purely exhausted and annoyed. The man, Dan, dropped Danny like a sack of potatoes as he took a long drink from the travel cup in his hand.
It didn't take a genius to recognize the look of an exhausted parent in Dan's expression. A look many of the league members were well acquainted to. A look that even had Batman grimacing with sympathy.
"Can it, little shits. You two were grounded, remember." Dan had growled at the kids before shifting his focus back on the team of heroes before them. His glowing eyes set in a deadly glare. "Pariah Dark isn't coming, and he never will. He's been dethroned and banished. We're the best you've got."
A summoning that started with a group of on edge and scared heroes looking for the ghost king, ended in a way no one expected.
No one was even sure if it made any sense. They weren't sure if they should feel hopeful or in despair.
Because truly, what was a ghostly man with two seemingly human children against a godlike foe with the control over the weather?
The unspoken question of power and ability seemed to vanish following Dan downing the metal travel cup of coffee, and crushing it in his fist.
He tossed it to the side, straighting up his posture as he looked over the heroes. Dan might not be a hero, but he's been playing family for too long.
An almost feral, bloodhungry grin spread across the man's face, sharp fangs on full display. The look made the man suddenly look even less human. He looked closer to a demon from the pits of hell rather than the exhausted parent he looked just a few seconds ago.
"Point me in the direction of this bastard. It's been too long since I let loose and had some fun."
#danny phantom#danny fenton#phandom#dc x dp#batman#dcxdp#dp x dc#dp x dc au#dp x dc crossover#justice league#I've been toying with the idea of following Pariah Dark's end the zone abolished the idea of a one true king#instead setting up a counsel of the most trusted ghosts and deities with in the zone; including Pandora and Clockwork#I also like to vote for Technus to be on the counsel and Ghostwriter to be like the secretary/note taker#after Ghostwriter stopped being an asshole ofc ofc#I kinda have this list of specific details I've created for this idea and like I keep thinking up new ones#like the Phamily's backstory is somewhat canon complaint with the show but also a whole mess of complex shit#like the expanse of Danny turning into phantom and the events that occurred still did except technically they never did#it's clockwork's time mumbo jumbo type of shit#Ellie had to be deaged some to help stabilize her core so I'm roughly saying she's like 7-8 years old#but idk children so idk how a 7-8 year old actually looks or how they usually act or talk#The JL seriously don't know if they should be hopeful or not but Dan's grin and excitement makes it seem more promising#I like to imagine Bruce is just watching Dan with Ellie and Danny trying to figure out if he's actually a good father or not#people being surprised to find out that Ellie Danny and Dan are all technically orphaned siblings#while Dan is just trying to coparent his siblings with the help of a time god an earth goddess a princess and a dirtbag with a motorcycle#dan phantom#ellie phantom#I can go on and on so I'll force myself to stop now#long post
1K notes
·
View notes
Text
Have you seen my little lad?
[First] Prev <–-> Next
#poorly drawn mdzs#mdzs#wei wuxian#jin zixun#Everytime I have to write his name I feel like I'm running outside in a blood rain trying not to get wet. Misspelling it feels so inevitabl#But so far so good! He doesn't have too many more appearances before he gets Cheesed.#Dear god I love it when characters go on the war path for someone they care about.#And I love it even more when you have an ambiguity between personal debt and genuine act of selflessness.#WWX saving WN is purposefully messy! Like a lot of our real life reasons for how we act - there isn't a clear single cause or answer.#Sometimes we forget that we are a collection of experiences and learnt reactions.#Sometimes we forget that what we see on the surface is not the point to address. Everyone is more complex than we think. Even yourself.#And yet...it always comes back to love doesn't it? Attachment styles and self-esteem and bonds and relationships to others.#Everything comes back to love and our perceptions of it.#WWX is on a self-destructive war path and he will absorb as much damage as he can for those he feels obligated and attached to.#Does it make him feel needed? Does it give him purpose? Does it ease anxieties of the past? I do not think there is an answer.
882 notes
·
View notes
Text
I want a Dead Boy Detectives rewrite fic, except Edwin and Charles have been dating for about 20 years, but absolutely nobody can tell, and every damn chapter they have to explain that Yes, we are dating, No, this isn't a new thing, catch up.
#like not even niko catches on at first#jenny does though#she meets the boys and she's immediately like “oh ok”#speaking of#i want more jenny interactions with the boys#they deserve bitchy goth big sister too god dammit#dead boy detectives#dead boy detective agency#dbda#charles rowland#edwin payne#payneland#charles rowland x edwin payne#shit talker talks#Cat King : Do you have a special friendship?#Edwin : I like to think it's a little more complex than thag but okay#Niko : You do know two boys can like-like each other right?#Edwin : Why does everyone assume I don't know about gay people????
385 notes
·
View notes
Text
Tamlin is actually such an underrated character in acotar. Because of feyres very biased narrative she forces readers to ignore the complexity of his character and man. its sad
Tamlin is a character who is genuinely GOOD at his core. He changed so much of the spring court for good, eliminating slavery within the spring lands and mortals having more protection. Hes a morally good character that made a few mistakes and is boiled down to just those mistakes. Locking feyre in the house and the magical/emotional blow up, which are both pretty decent fuck ups (i dont think siding with hybern fully counts as he was a double agent all along and tamlin was decently justified in thinking feyre was being kept against her will. lets be fr here) and even after he’s extremely fucked over by the nightcourt, his lands and court burned to shit, he still saves rhysand. Saves rhysand and tells feyre to be happy, even when he has every reason to NOT do that!
Hes a character that clearly holds himself to a higher standard. throughout acotar he puts lucien and feyres safety above his own, even sending feyre away when she was the only one who could save him. Even though what he did to her wasnt great its not completely irredeemable, rhysand did much worse things to feyre and other people but hes living his best life while Tamlin seems to find himself unworthy of being a person (acosf wheres hes been in beast form for roughly over two years) hes a perfectionist who now doesnt even think he deserves anyone because he accidentally hurt the people he loves most.
Sjm accidentally created a beautifully rich and morally righteous character who is so extremely fucked by the narrative. Which doesnt even work half the time as sjm cant seemingly commit to making him a full villain (seemingly by accident again she gave him quite a reasonable explanation to everything he did ‘wrong’ but still chooses to make him a punching bag)
If Tamlin was genuinely a morally evil character he wouldnt have NEARLY the amount of fans as he does. Hes a character that requires the minimum amount of media literacy and comprehension to understand and i LOVE him.
#acotar#a court of thorns and roses#tamlin#pro tamlin#sarah j maas#rhysand#sjm#anti rhysand#feyre#sjm critical#and most tamlin haters are so shallow#calling him tampon (which has so many misogynistic issues) is not the serve the girlies think it is#GOD hes so complex and its so good#i usually like the morally gray characters but this series writes them so poorly i go back around to loving the hero esq characters#tamlin has a certain ‘hero’ complex to him where he expects himself to save everyone and that its his duty#he said himself that hes only good for fighting and killing. he sees himself as subhuman or subfae whatever#and that level of self loathing/belief that others mean more than him makes him infinitely better than rhys or feyre#feyre and rhys are characters who are so full of themselves#obnoxious and hypocritical#i like feyre in the first book and basically dislike her in the rest of the series because she becomes so hypocritical and self obsessed#its 3am idk if this makes sense i just love tam :(
606 notes
·
View notes
Text
No one ever tells Obi-Wan that he is his Master's padawan.
Of course, for most people who had known Qui-Gon Jinn, telling someone else they resembled the the man would in fact be a thinly veiled insult. But still, Obi-Wan feels the absence of comparisons almost as strongly as he feels the absence of his Master.
There is no one for Obi-Wan to push against now, no strong presence at his side, ready to grab him by scruff and pull him back from another reckless stunt. It's an odd feeling. He has been set loose against his wishes. There is no one to his left and Anakin at his heels, but Anakin had needed, still needs, a strong, gentle figure for his prickly but sensitive heart. For even their worst bickering could not hold a candle to the scathing remarks he and Qui-Gon had shot at each other and Obi-Wan knows he cannot push and needle Anakin in the same way.
When Qui-Gon had been alive they had been an amusing, mirrored pair, the maverick and his rule-following padawan. Opposites clashing against each other, yet working together to complete the most difficult missions. Few saw that Qui-Gon's impertinence had indeed rubbed off on his padawan, cultivated from that small, angry initiate, because the only way to rebel against the rule-breaker had been to parrot the Council fastidiously. No one would ever get to see that again. Obi-Wan is one half of a mirrored pair trying to complete a routine on his own. What once was an impish, teasing compliance is now a betrayal of all his Master's values.
"How could Qui-Gon raise such a model Jedi?" He hears them say, "It's admirable that Master Kenobi was appointed to the Council despite his Master's maverick ways."
Padawan Kenobi would have yelled and kicked and screamed. Master Kenobi is serene. It should feel like an achievement. It feels like a disappointment.
Sometimes, Obi-Wan looks at the shape of the man he has moulded himself into, and aches to be his Master's padawan.
#I am so totally normal about them. (screaming crying throwing up)#anyway yeah obi wan has daddy issues but in a very specific way that's less i want a father figure and more i require an animal handler#hence why obi wan likes both alpha 17 and cody finally someone to tell him he's being an idiot and be bitchy with him he's missed this#giving the guilt boy MORE guilt complexes over honoring his masters legacy#but god really imagine you spend a decade making yourself the opposite of your master in a funny back and forth you both indulge in but the#BUT THEN!! he fucking dies and you're left alone occupying a dynamic carved for 2 people and everyone tells you they can't see any of your#dead master within you as if it's a joke. as if that's funny. as if that's a good thing. and people say he would be proud but would he?#would he be proud when everyone always tells you that you are the opposite of him? that you are everything he was not?#obi wan kenobi#qui gon jinn#qui gon and obi wan#disaster lineage#star wars
442 notes
·
View notes
Text
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAREST REIGEN!!
everyone thanks you for entering their lives :')
#i like making reigen sob his ass off... hes an ugly crier for sure#the balloons were each drawn by the three of them tee hee#dont think i have to say this but plz dont...tag *yknow what ship* ...not trying to spark a fire im a bit worried of ppl misinterpreting?#mob is very dear to reigen their bond is extraordinary... i feel like a peck on the cheek would be normal to them yknow what i mean#i dont see them necessarily as father and son but more like brothers/cousins/family friends... but more complex i suppose#the point is that they saved each other so a kiss on the cheek as a thank you would make sense!#also once again this looks like serirei art but it isnt... im not capable of making them not look gay am i... good god im a mess!#im just glad i finished something for his bday i wouldve kicked the shit outta myself for missing it#actually i did a bit of the reigenweek prompts let me finish some of those... i got the reigen bug lately and draw him lots :)#my art#mp100#mob psycho 100#reigen arataka#shigeo kageyama#serizawa katsuya#ekubo
395 notes
·
View notes
Text
Dc x Dp Prompt #3
Immortal Ghost King Au:
Daniel Fenton was crowned as High King Phantom of the Infinite Realms on his 16th birthday. He knew many were opposed to him being crowned at such a young age (he was too), but the Realms had gone too long without a ruler and it was getting restless.
The Realms were sentient to some extent. It can not run itself as it has no form but it chooses a host, a King if you will, to fulfill its wishes. It may have lived on an entire millennia without a ruler, but it was only out of sheer luck and the contributions of countless gods that it had survived. The Infinite Realms needed a King and Danny Phantom was the only contender.
So the people were ignored and their boy king was crowned. However Phantom was young and naive, a child as both a human and a ghost. Even worse, he knew nothing about being a king. But the little godling would learn and learn he did.
Most kings were taught before they were coronated, but Danny had no such privilege. His coronation came and left with the wind. His private lessons overshadowed any thoughts he had left of mortal schooling. And Danny gave up on living a normal human life.
That last part was perhaps the easiest for Danny. Amity Park was already considered too liminal for them to have any “sentience”. The GIW had all but declared war on the Realms with their continuous violent actions upon his people and the land itself.
It wasn’t difficult for Amity to give up their “rights” and “humanity” either. They said good riddance to the world that never helped them, to the heroes that ignored their cries for help. And they bowed to Phantom, declaring him their King, just as he declared them citizens of the Infinite Realms.
He welcomed his liminals with open arms, vowing to protect them from any harm that would come their way, just as he would with any of his other citizens. He gave them a home in the Realms, an island- no a haunt of their own should they wish to truly reject the land of the living, and they accepted. Not many wanted to try their luck against the human government.
But with a God, no, their King on their side, they knew their safety and happiness was all but assured. After all, it was Phantom who protected them even as they turned their own backs at him. It was Phantom who fought against foes that could have erased him from existence.
And of course it was Phantom who would now receive any and all support he could ever want and need should he declare war against the humans of Earth. No, there was no need for people of the Infinite Realms to worry. High King Phantom was a God after all. It was only ever his right to exact divine punishment onto those who opposed and threatened his will. It was not their fault if the humans actively went against his will. No, the humans had no one but themselves to blame for whatever came for them.
#dc x dp#dp x dc#dc x dp prompt#dp x dc prompt#the infinite realms is home to more than just ghosts#like demons and other things too#it uses the king as its host to ensure its people’s survival and in turn makes the king a god#pariah dark went against the realms will#so he was sealed away and not killed because you can not kill an already dead god#the people of the realms were skeptical of having such a young king#but Danny’s a quick learner and turned out to be really good#amity park vs GIW wouldn’t be the first war he’s led#Danny gave himself a god complex bc people respect him more that way#it’s a mask he only uses outside of the realms#he’s acts normally when he’s with citizens of the realms#can a god even have a god complex??#amity park moved to the infinite realms after the GIW tried killing them all#JL and JLD are struggling trying to find a way to negotiate a peace agreement#but amity park feels abandoned and spiteful so they refuse#lucky for the JL that it’s Phantom who’s in charge#or maybe that’s the reason they’re not so lucky#amity found out Danny was a god and ran with it#this might be a good way to like make this into an arranged marriage au with a person of your choice#make Danny as old or as young as you want#Danny will do what he needs to make sure his people are safe and happy
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
What I love most about this concept of everyone playing gods is that while everyone else is playing a pretty well known dnd god, the Everlight is Ashley’s.
I know Serenrae is from Pathfinder, but she was brought into dnd for Pike. For Ashley.
The Everlight has so few followers that even Father Milo made a comment about her still having any. The character of the Everlight doesn’t have a dnd counterpart, meaning that Ashley has full control over who the Everlight is.
The other gods have lore. They have personalities that are already pretty well known, but not the Everlight. She is an anomaly in this lore, and if I recall correctly, the only character we know that has a connection to the Everlight is Pike.
(I know that all of these versions of the gods are going to be much more multidimensional and complex, I mean look at Taliesin’s Wildmother)
I’m kinda rambling in circles, but this version of a god who loves its creations so much that she fully embraced the fact that she was turned mortal, that she fell in love with a mortal and had kids with him, that she had a dog, had friends that weren’t her fellow gods.
I feel like if Ayden, the Dawnfather, wasn’t there, the Everlight would have stayed with her family and stayed mortal.
But then again we still have two more episodes with these characters and anything can happen!
#I just absolutely love Trist#There is so much we don’t know yet about her but I feel like there is already so much!#Here’s to two more episodes where the gods are actual characters and we get to see how much more complex the story of C3 gets!#critical role#critical role spoilers#exu downfall#cr downfall#ashley johnson
254 notes
·
View notes
Text
I know we say Neil Josten is constantly mischaracterised by the fandom or even himself but you know who is the most mischaracterised in the entire series?
Andrew minyard by all the characters except for Neil, Renee, Bee and Wymack
#like that always gets me so so mad because for once the fandom (and those four aforementioned characters) are the only people that#understands Andrew and that’s so sad like aksjdjdjdj SKDNDJDJ#tbh not even the fandom like they just make him this possessive emo boy when he’s just a traumaisted kid that has to use violence to get#people to just respect his simple boundaries#tsc made me love Neil josten even more but I still love Andrew minyard the most#my god complex is me believing that I’m the only person except for Nora that will truly understand Andrew and Neil#no one gets them like me#I truly believe my take on them is the only correct ones#Idc LMAO that’s my toxic trait#aftg#all for the game#tfc#the foxhole court#aftg series#aftg fandom#aftg incorrect quotes#andrew minyard#neil josten#andrew joseph minyard#the sunshine court#tsc and aftg supremacy#tsc#aftg thoughts#tfc textpost#aftg shitpost#aftg trilogy#aftg andrew#aftg neil
196 notes
·
View notes
Text
Man I just love ClownPierce. Like when he gets into bad pvp situations and close to death he goes silent or deafens, and because of everything that he's built up over his whole career he instantly gives off the aura of pissed, scary, murderous, livid, effortless in his escaping or destruction.
But occasionally, on someone else's stream or content, you hear what really goes on in his mind and it's always terror and ultimate focus so deep that listening and responding to someone else is impossible and incredibly stressful for him to do.
But he cleanly covers that all up by being silent and then getting perfect revenge later.
like i love how you get all that without breaking the narrative? like you have to intuit his fear from consuming lots of content. it's not like he goes on a character arc that shows his vulnerable side or smth boring like a tv show would do when they run out of other ideas. its just an extra layer to the whole complex thing.
#finally watched the rekrap video#like bro took sooo many crits and he was just switching between gaps and god apps to maximize saturation and give himself time to think#and as his hearts crept lower and lower did he do the only thing left to him that could possibly save him#like combat logging was not his first thought in the slightest#and he deafened to focus more. he has a real fear around dying and it's so interesting when he gets put in bad situations#he's just delightfully complex with everything that he does in minecraft and i just love it so much#lifesteal#gnome rambles
63 notes
·
View notes
Text
i have many thoughts of varying purity about webtoon dkos but there's one thing about him on a character design level that really stands out to me
the defining traits of the demon king are his horns and his wings. there's the claws and eyes and the recent pointy ear addition but they're negligible, the two traits he always has are his horns and his wings, and on his og design they're just sorta... there.
on the webtoon? his wings and horns are massive. the horns are the lenght of his face and the wings could fit people inside them. they're really large proportionally, cause dokja's body is still its regular size, and that's because of what they mean.
those traits are the identifying visual markers of the 73rd demon king and the demon king of salvation, which are both roles that are "larger than life". too big for a mere incarnation or a simple human. and right now kdj is just an incarnation! a human still! it's the whole point of it all.
his demonic attributes are too big on him because he's still too human. he's still too small; he's not enough of a threat, not inhumane enough to fit into his wings. so even though he has horns and claws and wings he's still tiny. he's still dressed in purity white. he's still asking to be killed. and he could grow into his wings, he can become that grand demon king, that grand constellation.
he just needs to let his human self die first.
#ciaran rambling on#BROUGHT TO YOU BY *MY* CONSTELLATION SPONSOR#cloud and foam chaser aka lupin. some of this is j copy pasted dms.#this is like. the one hope/expectation i have for both future webtoon chapters and the anime#PLEASE make the alternate designs (dkos watcher plotter 999 so on so forth) more interesting and complex#they deserve it#omniscient reader's viewpoint#orv meta#god tagging that is so scary the people in there are so smart#orv spoilers#orv webtoon#kim dokja#there we go it's marinated enough in my drafts
126 notes
·
View notes
Text
I'm sorry I let down my guard.
[First] Prev <–-> Next
#poorly drawn mdzs#mdzs#xue yang#xiao xingchen#God DAMN this scene was brutal. Season 2 episode 2 is almost nothing but misery and anguish#Helena by Nickle Creek does not quite fit the comic's vibe but it is absolutely a Xue Yang song so I linked it.#The change from “Helena don't walk away...(gentle)” to “HELENA. DON'T WALK AWAY (threat)” is fantastic.#And “Don't waste your pretty sympathy - I'll always be just fine”. Xue Yang core.#Okay now for the real meat. Disclaimer first: *I really like XY.* I think he's a great character. I think his actions consistently-#come from a place of deep trauma. While his reactions and actions put him in a villainous role he is still human about his hurt#and what I'm about to say is NOT intended to be a statement of causality or villianize a group of misunderstood people.#So with that said...Man oh man does Xue Yang have a lot of BPD traits. More that just 'character who is chronically manipulative'.#The impulsivity and emotional reactions and seeking stability makes him feel like he needs that control. What other choice is there?#The part that really gets me is how he *wants* to be safe and happy. But his past experiences tell him how thats impossible#He's the kind of person who goes 'if you don't like me then you better hate me for something substantial". All (pos) or All (neg)#''Love me entirely or Hate me. But don't you dare leave me or forget about me.''#Not at all comfortable saying 'BPD coded'. Im not a psychiatrist. Just that he has TRAITS. Feel free to disagree or add your thoughts.#ppl with bpd also are not a monolith and everyone has very different experiences. Xue yang is very complex. People more so.
929 notes
·
View notes
Text
Something that bugs me a lot in Dawntrail discourse is watching people who think they are defending the expansion argue away its best aspect. Because here's the thing: Wuk Lamat isn't like prior FFXIV characters. She takes up way more space than them. That's good!
A common thread you see in defenses is that people are complaining about things they were fine with earlier in the story. "Oh well actually Lyse was also the main character of Stormblood and people didn't hate her as much!" or "Heavensward is the story of Aymeric and Estinien and Ysayle, and the Warrior of Light doesn't do that much!" or "No one complained when Gaia jumped into the Eden raids, or when Emet showed up during Seat of Sacrifice" with the implied conclusion of "Wuk Lamat's not different from any other previous major character, your complaints have more to do with [sexism/transphobia/your crippling insecurity about not being the main character] than the way she's written." First of all people did hate Lyse. I get what you are saying but they very much did hate Lyse.
But Wuk Lamat is different. She's different because Dawntrail is unapologetically, full-throatedly her story. She is there at the start, she is there at the end, she is there basically all the way through except for a brief interlude. She is the character you talk to the most, she is also the character that talks the most. She has more of a complete arc than anyone else in the expansion. The antagonists develop much stronger direct and personal relationships to her than they ever do with you. Several major characters have relationships to you through her more than they do with you directly. At multiple points in the story you explicitly step back and are like "Go right ahead, queen, do the main character stuff." She 100% takes your role in certain ways. She's literally a new WL to your WoL!
and that's awesome! Like, holy shit! If you had traveled back in time and told me after Endwalker, "Hey, the next expansion will be almost solely and entirely focused on the character journey of a young woman, and she'll be nuanced and complex and allowed to fail but also allowed to succeed wildly, and her characterization will be interesting and her ideals will be very directly challenged, and she'll get to do some real classic 'sorry my noble opponent but I must stop you, even though I sympathize' shit, and the way she is framed won't feel excessively male-gazey, and she won't get stuck in the FFXII Ashe Miniskirt, and she won't just be someone you watch and clap for while the real protagonist and narrator is some random guy in her entourage," I would've been like "haha, okay, I like FFXIV as much as the next guy but I don't think it's shaken its baseline sexism off enough to do an expansion entirely about a woman and her personal growth and what makes her a good leader, especially after Stormblood's mixed reception. And CBU3 definitely doesn't have the guts to make her even more of a main character than any other prior NPC, and you didn't mention this part future time traveler, but I also don't believe they'll be willing to cast a trans woman in the role." And I would have been fucking wrong!
Yes, Wuk Lamat is the main character. Yes, she does get more attention than other NPCs, or even your Warrior of Light. And yes, that's totally fine, and even something to praise!!! You don't have to run from it to accommodate people who are looking for something to complain about!
#wuk lamat#dawntrail#dawntrail spoilers#dt spoilers#7.0 spoilers#and then once we've gotten this nailed down#we can move on to the more complex part:#'dawntrail did a lot of stuff cool and right and its decisions should be praised but also there are still things you can critique about it'#'and yes that includes how well it handles its laserlike focus on a character that isn't the Warrior of Light'#which is where all the actual fun and interesting conversation is!#defending dawntrail shouldn't mean pretending its less than it is#and we will never get to the good convos as long as we are focused on critics who wouldn't like her even if she was Exactly Estinien 2.0#also i'm not saying her design isn't obviously intended to be sexy. she's a furry lady with washboard abs#and the camera 100% focuses on those abs at various points#but being a furry means that her relatively exposing outfit actually doesn't come off quite the same way#and she doesn't come off as fully fanservice'd out the way that again someone like ashe does#and she appeals to a broader range than just straight men#god i hate ashe's design.#meta: durai report
141 notes
·
View notes
Text
Thematic Analysis of Hades II: Why You Can Never Go Home
(At some point I might make a video on this, but for now sharing my thoughts via textpost. Spoilers ahead!)
So the text of the story of Hades and Hades 2 are Zagreus breaking out of the House, and Melinoë breaking in.
But the wild thing (and the reason Hades 2 is much more interesting to me) is that both games actually have almost inverted themes from that text. Zagreus is intent on uniting a household; Melinoë is discovering the home she's fought to return to is rotten to the core.
Zagreus, despite his entire textual goal being to leave his home and family, is narratively & thematically working to bring the family and household together. His mother comes back and is reunited not just with him but her husband, mother, and entire extended family. Achilles and Patrocles, Orpheus and Eurydice, Asterion and Theseus: Hades is a story of people metaphorically coming home and making peace with where they are (Sisyphus, Thanatos, Orpheus). Everyone basically gets a happy ending, credits roll, problems all resolved or en route to be solved. Everyone is home.
(Important to note: we never see a human in the first game. We see shades, and gods, and monsters, and the closest you get to a mortal living thing is the satyrs. This is a story concerned with the realm of the gods.)
In contrast, Melinoë has no home - besides being estranged from her childhood home, she literally lives in a tent. In case the theme was too subtle, presumably.
Now, she has been fighting her entire life to become powerful enough to return home and reclaim her family - that seems Zagreus-adjacent on its face. However, there isn't a home to return to- Hades is in shackles, the rest of her family trapped in time. At this point in Early Access, on both a metatextual & diegetic level she quite literally can neither make it to Mt Olympus or into Zagreus' room - she cannot go home, she cannot meet her family.
Consider the others: Odysseus' presence seems to tie into the idea of a long journey home, but this is an Odysseus who lived and died and now has other (inhuman) priorities. He loves them, but has no interest in reuniting with Penelope and Telemachus at this point. Nemesis dislikes her siblings, and is more concerned with the equal application of "justice" than whether it has any reforming effect. Narcissus and Echo eventually talk and part more amicably, but that's the best that can be said about their relationship.
Hecate refuses to be called Melinoë's mother: she will not distract from the "true" family that Melinoë has no memory of ever meeting.
Instead of Ares and Dionysus (enjoyers of chaos and least affected by the toxicity of the family in Hades 1) we have Hestia and Hephaestaus- a goddess who helped murder her father and a god constantly belittled by his own family. Their tense and frequently bitter interactions with the other Olympians are evocative of the central theme being explored: what if there isn't a home to go back to? What if your family is unforgivable? (What if you want to forgive them anyways? What if you need to?)
This theme is why Arachne is in the game, and Athena is not: likeable, first-helper-of-Zagreus Athena turned Arachne into a spider out of petty anger. How do you reconcile that?
Moros (lovely, kind Moros, who gushes at Odysseus like a fanboy) and his sisters the Fates did horrible things to mortals out of boredom. The same mortals whose bodies you can see stacked up like cordwood in Ephyra, who you repeatedly claim you are fighting to protect from Chronos. Moros can neither confirm nor deny that the current events could have been set in motion by the Fates. How do you reconcile that?
Polyphemus raises sheep. He genuinely loves and cares for them, is protective of them. He also eats them, and is confused when Melinoë implies a contradiction.
How can you love someone and be willing to kill them? For survival? For fleeting satisfaction? For vengeance?
Is Chronos' willingness to eat his children so morally heinous that it makes him worse than every cruelty the gods have wrought? Worse for who?
#hades game#hades ii spoilers#hades 2 spoilers#hades 2#hades ii#melinoe#i REALLY enjoy the themes of this game btw#the first game was like ~everyone is getting back together~. which is sweet and felt parent trap - adjacent#meanwhile hades ii is like WOULD YOU LIKE TO FIRST PERSON RP HAVING A COMPLEX NETWORK OF ABUSIVE FAMILY MEMBERS#it kicks ass it's so much more compelling and weird and interesting#also tbc the game isnt like. much different in TONE than the first one#but imo the weight it places on how awful the gods are is a lot different#also nothing quite hits like the first time you notice all the dead in Ephyra#also also i dont think this boils down to 'oh chronos is right actually'#its just compelling to actually ask 'for a random citizen of Ephyra. is chronos better or worse than Medea'
145 notes
·
View notes
Text
Will the umbrella academy writers ever remember that being a monkey man is not actually Luther’s power? The world will never know.
#it’s just super strength!#the monkey stuff was a thing he was injected with when he almost died!#that’s literally why he got sent to the moon!#it’s literally all he talks about in s1 how do you forget#I know you gotta give them all complexes but find a different one for him good god#he’s already living in a condemned version of the fucked up boarding school he was raised in and can seemingly never leave#that’s so much already why monkeyify him#it’s more fun visually but like. that’s it#luther hargreeves#tua#the umbrella academy
80 notes
·
View notes